7 Carolina Reaper Hot Sauces To Try Before You Die
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The craft hot sauce industry is booming. This is thanks to shows like Hot Ones and all the spicy challenges of the internet. As a result, there are literally thousands of new hot sauces to try. Today, I’ll share some of the best (and hottest) Carolina Reaper hot sauces that you should taste if you like it hot!
First, an overview of the pepper behind all of these sauces. The Carolina reaper. The former king of hot peppers (since overtaken by Pepper X), the Reaper was the hottest pepper in the world for over a decade. There was a bit of controversy over it, but either way, the pepper variety is seriously hot.
This means that any hot sauce company that wants to boast about having a ‘super hot’ sauce needs to have a sauce with Carolina reapers in it. So, there are tons of reaper sauces to choose from.
Some of them have fancy names alluding to the Grim Reaper, others are more subtle. However, they all have one thing in common: They’re spicy.
1. Torchbearer – Reaper Evil
- Heat: 9/10
- Flavor: Savory, garlic, black pepper
- Price: $$$
- Buy here
Torchbearer makes some of the most unique hot sauces, both in flavor and artistic design. Reaper Evil is among their spiciest sauces available. When the first ingredient is Reapers, you know it is serious.
The sauce is more savory than sweet, with the main flavor contributors being garlic, onions and black pepper. This makes a great addition for meat or rice dishes that need a kick of heat.
Note: If you are looking for something with respectable heat and a better flavor (in our opinion), try Torchbearer’s Zombie Apocalypse here. No Reapers, but its one of Crystlyn’s favorites!
2. Don’t Fear The Reaper
- Heat: 8/10
- Flavor: Pepper-forward, sweet, tangy
- Price: $$
- Buy here
Simplicity. This is the word that comes to mind while tasting this Carolina reaper hot sauce from Dragon’s Blood Elixir. The heat level is high, but the number of ingredients is low. Just Reapers, apple cider syrup, vinegar, and sea salt.
If you are looking for an approachable Carolina reaper hot sauce that will give you a good idea of the flavor of the actual peppers, this is your sauce. Unfortunately, it is commonly sold out due to a limited supply of fresh, local ingredients.
Thankfully, Dragon’s Blood has a wide selection of other great hot sauces, many of which include various superhot peppers. One of our favorites is Wild Elephant Deterrent (believe me, this one earned its name!).
3. Bravado Black Garlic Reaper
- Heat: 8/10
- Flavor: Maple, rich toasted garlic
- Price: $
- Buy here
Bravado has been making hot sauces for a long time, with a wide range of choices from pineapple habanero to their super-spicy black garlic reaper sauce. This hot sauce combines two of our favorite flavors – sweet and spicy.
Maple syrup is a great way to add natural sweetness to hot sauces, and pairs well with the serrano and Carolina reaper purees. Black garlic is a specialty ingredient that takes weeks to make, and adds a rich, toasty flavor.
4. Hell Hound
- Heat: 9/10
- Flavor: Maple, rich toasted garlic
- Price: $
- Buy here
If you are looking for a Carolina reaper hot sauce that has a satisfying, complex flavor, you need to try Lucky Dog’s Hell Hound. This hot sauce combines some unique ingredients with impressive results.
For example, this sauce contains rice vinegar (one of my favorite basic vinegars), tamarind, mango, and agave. These, combined with reaper peppers, create a truly distinctive flavor profile that is well-loved by those who have tried it.
Oh, and let’s not forget, it’s seriously spicy! Even though the reapers are not the 1st ingredient (they’re the 3rd), this sauce is blisteringly hot. Proceed with caution!
5. Aardvark Reaper
- Heat: 8/10
- Flavor: Smoky, sweet, ketchup-alternative
- Price: $
- Buy here
Secred Aardvark makes a great habanero hot sauce that makes a great spicy alternative to ketchup. Their spicier Aardvark Reaper hot sauce can be used in the same way, but brings big heat and a smoky depth of flavor along with it.
Don’t let the cute aardvark mascot fool you! This reaper hot sauce means serious business in the heat department. Thankfully, the flavor is great, too.
So, if you want the perfect sauce for nugget-dunking, but need extra heat, this one is for you. I also love the squeeze bottle, making for easy dispensing at just the right amount.
6. SeaFire Gourmet Reaper Sauce
- Heat: 8/10
- Flavor: Smoky, sweet, ketchup-alternative
- Price: $$
- Buy here
Not all Carolina reaper hot sauces need to be painfully spicy. SeaFire Gourmet’s Reaper sauce is reasonably hot with lots of mouthwatering flavor.
Think sweet, spicy BBQ sauce and you’ll get an idea of this sauce’s flavor. The rich, thick sauce pours almost like honey and is full of pepper chunks.
This became an instant favorite in our house, perfect for chicken or anything off the grill. If your favorite dipping sauce isn’t as hot as you’d like, substitute this next time! But don’t forget, it does have one of the hottest peppers in the world as an ingredient!
7. Torchbearer Garlic Reaper
- Heat: 9/10
- Flavor: Garlicky, robust, lime
- Price: $$
- Buy here
Garlic is amazing. We grow it in our garden every year, and it makes an appearance in almost all of our homemade hot sauce recipes. If you love garlic and heat, you have to try Torchbearer’s Garlic Reaper Sauce.
As you may expect, this one is heavy on the garlic. This makes it perfect for adding to pasta, pizza, grilled meats, and even roasted veggies.
The first two ingredients are Carolina reapers and garlic, so the name is very well-suited to this sauce’s contents. A touch of oil makes the sauce nice and creamy, while the lime juice and white vinegar add the perfect acidity and addictive bite.
Did you find the right Carolina reaper hot sauce for your needs? This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the available options (there are so many!). However, these are some that we have tried and thoroughly enjoyed.
I will keep this list up to date as time goes on and as we try more Carolina reaper sauces. Be sure to let me know what your favorite reaper sauces are so we can find some new ones to try.
I like reaper squeezins from puckerbutt